About five years ago, my wife Kitty and I went on our first date. After a day on elusive Elk Island, we hit Goodwill (yeah yeah, "what precious hipster thing to do" blah blah blah) for some shopping. While I was looking for records, she was checking out the books. She came out of the stacks with the Playboy Host & Bar Book (circa 1971) and I fell in love. Later, we perused the pages over mixed drinks and smoldering glances at the, now lost, Rose and Raindrop.
Since that day, The Playboy Host and Bar Book has been a part of our lives. To celebrate the anniversary of its finding, I'm offering this gem of a drink from its tattered, dog-eared pages:
The Playboy Cooler (From the London Playboy Club)1 1/4 oz Rum
1 1/4 oz Coffee Liqueur
3 oz Pineapple Juice
2 tsp Lemon juice
Cola drink (any will do, I guess)
1 Slice pineappleShake everything but the cola with ice, strain into a pre-chilled glass, top with cola, garnish with pineapple.
The funny thing is: Kitty is totally allergic to Pineapple. But this was the only summery cocktail, among the 800, that had the Playboy name. Moving On...
We have a winner in the local distillery, tri-fecta cocktail challenge. Amy and Brian, who sent me an un-named cocktail, will be recieving a round, on me, at their favorite local dive bar. Okay, it doesn't have to be a dive, but c'mon, I'm not a millionaire. Here's the drink:
1.5 oz Indio Spirits Cricket Club Gin
1/2 oz New Deal Spicy Ginger Cello
1/2 oz Clear Creek Cherry Liqueur
5 oz Tonic
1/2 oz Lime juiceShaken, up, with a cherry garnish.
Okay, I'll buy another round for the person who offers the best name for this drink in the comment section.
While we're on the subject of challenges, I encourage you all to compete in the "Create the Oregon Bounty Cocktail" contest. Here's a snippet from the press release:
It's simple: design a drink that represents your favorite part of the state, using Oregon's artisan distilled spirits and local products. Pick one or more of the following regions: Portland Metro, Oregon Coast, Central Oregon, Southern Oregon, Willamette Valley, Mt. Hood/Columbia River Gorge, or Eastern Oregon and then get cocktail creative.
Seven lucky liquor lovers will receive weekend getaways around our lovely, and progressively boozy state! Yay! Go to Travel Oregon for more details. And good luck!
As always e-mail me your favorite cocktail recipes and see them in the next Friday's SBG post.
